VANCOUVER — People around Winnipeg might be getting used to Patrik Laine’s exploits with a hockey stick, including his lightning-quick release and his ability to seemingly pick corners at will.

When others around the NHL see it for the first time, there’s a definite awe factor.

A case in point would be the call of his goal Sunday afternoon by Colorado Avalanche play-by-play man Mike Haynes, who was so impressed with Laine’s shot off a perfect pass from Mark Scheifele on a two-on-one that he didn’t even say the 18-year-old Finnish rookie scored.

He just jumped straight into the praise.

“Wow,” Haynes started. “Oh my. That was amazing. That was Ovechkin-like.”

Laine, who has 18 goals and 29 points in 35 games this season, continues to be the talk of the NHL, but even those who expected big things from him are surprised that he’s been able to do so much, so quickly, at such a young age.

“It’s always hard for young players to come in and play in the league,” Vancouver Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. “I don’t think you should ever take it for granted that they’re going to succeed or be great right off.

“So you have to be a little bit surprised. He’s certainly a talent and everybody knew coming in that he was going to be a high-end prospect.”

Aside from his obvious skills, the traits that really seem to set Laine apart from other players his age are maturity and confidence.

On his perfect one-timer goal on Sunday, Laine turned his body to get into position, cocked his stick like a loaded rifle and ripped a no-chancer past Avalanche goalie Calvin Pickard.

He jokingly told a Finnish reporter that, from that position in the high slot, with such a perfect pass, he would score 99 times out of 100 and break his stick on the other.

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Postmedia Network

Asked about that comment Tuesday in Vancouver, Laine originally said he was just trying to be funny, but then said something that shows he truly believes it to be true.

“I know if I get that kind of spot 100 times, there’s a good chance I can score a lot of goals,” he said. “I’m not afraid to say that.”

In talking about his confidence — or borderline cockiness — and his dry wit, he used the same self-assessment for both: “That’s who I am.”

It’s that ability to be so comfortable in his own skin, despite being so far away from home, playing in a foreign land against the best players in the world while still a teenager, that has made the entire transition so seamless.

We saw back before the NHL Draft, when he suggested he should be the first overall pick ahead of Auston Matthews, that he has a swagger about him. That hasn’t changed through 35 games.

“It’s part of who I am and it’s a big part of my game,” he said. “I know what I’m capable of and how good I am and that’s not a bad thing. People can think what they want but I know how good I am and I’m not afraid to say it.”

What has impressed Canucks veteran forward Jannik Hansen so much is how quickly Laine has adapted to the North American game. Laine hardly ever played on the smaller ice surface before this year.

“That’s the thing that has surprised me the most,” Hansen said. “I saw him in Russia at the world championship last May and I saw his shot. It’s one thing being able to shoot — you’ve got to put yourself in a position where you can get it off, too. It’s not easy to do. He hasn’t played a whole lot of North American hockey, but he’s been able to score on a regular basis.”

So Desjardins is surprised at the young Finn’s immediate success, and so is Hansen.

What about Laine?

“Of course I am,” he said. “It’s just been an amazing start for the first season in the NHL, but I have to get better. Focus on those little things during the games and hope that I can improve my skills every day.”